Praying for the Pope.

Regardless of your views or opinions of the Catholic Church, the Pope is the spiritual leader of over one billion Catholics and has an incredible amount of influence among Christians worldwide. The election today was not simply for the Catholic church, but it has a great and lasting impact for all believers. To say the least, he needs prayer and that was one of the first things Jorge Mario Bergoglio asked for in his opening statements after being elected as the new pope. Choosing the name Francis is a testament of his humility and concern for the poor as has been displayed throughout his life prior to election.

Even though this prayer can not be traced precisely to St. Francis, I found it fitting to post the “Prayer of St. Francis” which is a beautiful prayer: